This week Donegal Daily’s fitness columnist, Emmet Rushe, owner and operator of Rushe Fitness, shares a few ‘handy’ tips on how to keep your diet in check.
This week, I am going to give you some handy tips that I have picked up from the guys at Precision Nutrition.
I am a Certified Nutrition coach with them and the information they provide is easy to follow, but very effective for setting up good habits that will help you to achieve your goals.
When added into your daily routine, these tips can be adhered to very easily.
Your diet should be something that comes easy to you and is sustainable over a long period of time. I have used the tips below with hundreds of clients and have had great success with them.
I have a full 10 part course that goes into more detail on this when you sign up to my email list on my website, it is completely free and you also get a 40 page fat burning recipe book as a bonus. The link is at the bottom of the page.
1. Using a food diary:
A simple food diary can prevent you from taking in excess calories from seemingly innocent sources, such as sugary drinks cereal bars.
Writing down everything that you eat and drink, means that you are holding yourself accountable for your actions. It can prevent you from making mistakes. If you are training with a friend, swap diaries once a week and hold each other accountable.
2. Portion Control:
Your hand is your very own customized meal planner. If you are small and have small hands you will eat smaller portions and if you are tall and have large hands you will eat larger portions.
At each meal you should be getting in a portion of protein, a portion of carbohydrates and a portion of fibrous vegetables.
> Protein (Chicken, beef, fish)
You should use the size of an open palm and should roughly be the thickness of your thumb.
> Carbs. (Potato, sweet potato, rice)
You should use the same size as a cupped hand.
> Vegetables (Any vegetables, but green is best)
You should use the size of a closed fist.
> For extra fats if needed, such as oils and butter for cooking, or nuts for snacking on, you will use the length and thickness of your thumb, from tip to the large knuckle.
3. Snack on high protein/low calorie foods:
A small snack of fruit and nuts mid-morning and mid-afternoon has been shown to be effective in weight loss and can keep hunger at bay for longer.
An apple and a portion of almonds is a perfect snack providing that you keep the nut portions small enough.
Protein bars like Quest, Fulfil and Carb Killas are great ways to snack in order to get protein with the majority of the carbohydrates coming from dietary fibre.
Greek yoghurt is another great snack, add in a small handful of berries and you are sorted. This simple yet effective way of snacking, also allows you to always have something at hand that you can have if you are caught out and miss a meal.
Use the 90% rule:
The 90% rule allows you to be consistent with something but to have some leeway throughout the week as well. An example of this is that if you planned to eat 4 meals per day 7 days per week that is 28 meals, 90% of this would give 25, and this allows 3 free meals throughout the week. Think business lunch, family celebration or wedding etc.
These are very simple, but very effective ways to create structure to your weight loss goals.
P.S; Keep an eye out next week for information on how you can get ready for the Christmas party season from the comfort of your own home.
#TrainSmart
If you have any other questions or concerns you would like me to cover, please message me on Facebook or if you prefer to find out a bit about me and what I offer you can find out more at my website.
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